Photek is in a tricky position of managing mainstream appeal whilst still clinging on to the underground he flourished so successfully within. Consciousness of this has perhaps splintered KU:PALM into a number of different aural directions and, as such, will appeal to equally as splintered groups of music lovers.
[Release page] Fair play to Photek. The guy produces some of the most forward thinking drum & bass in the 90’s, gets a big record deal, supposedly buys fast cars then hot foots it to the bright lights of LA to compose film soundtracks and become an industry big wig. Some of the tracks that built his reputation as a producer back in the day still sound superb—”The Rain,” “Rings around Saturn” and tracks like “K.J.Z.” from Hidden Camera are steeped in a nostalgic fug of smoke machine and bassbins.
It is, however, no longer the 90’s and with new album KU:PALM we find out where Photek heads next. For the purists, a warning—KU:PALM, bar a few tracks, marks departures into territories such as stadium tech house, chug, trance and dubstep. This ain’t futuristic Japanese influenced underground drum and bass—more a mash up of multiple styles with a hyper produced Los Angeles sheen and, yes, definitely an occasional hint at Photek production genius.
“Signals” kicks things off in a tech house / breaks style—all rushy whooshes and heavy sub around a perky lead melody. A gurn filled mid track break down ushers in hovering big room looped vocal samples. White noise planes take off regularly and there’s a lengthy outro primed for the DJ. “Quadrant” follows in a slo-mo Diplo-esque head nod vein—a widescreen compressed synth tickling the synapses as it flits from speaker to speaker. “Aviator” continues the slow-ish tempo—a trancey big room filtered pad bouncing across a chugging disco beat as guitar funk twang is introduced alongside cheeky wiggles on the bass progression. Undoubted highlight “Pyramid” has had the Photek faithful fizzing at the bunghole in terms of reference points to earlier work. Yes! Bizarre rolling drum patterns, crashing cymbals, proper sub work and haunted ethnic instrument samples. Get in!! “Shape Charge” follows in great form—a further highlight with dissonant strings, rolling breaks, rubbery rounded bass and an air of late night urban pirate radio. Come on Rupert—this new skool old skool vibe is the stuff we love! Give us more!! But “Munich” is next feeling very Robert Miles reject—all plodding trance chug and piano. Moving on swiftly we find “Mistral” awash with 303 and sparky synths whilst “Oshun” provides disturbingly fast tempo tech thumps against ethereal pads and, cor blimey, a further gurning whoosh imbued drop. Closing the album are some dubstep based vocal pieces—not the kind of deep rolling stuff that ex d&b producers like Kryptic Minds might offer but rather inhabiting that mainstream moshpit at the festival you’d prefer not to be at. Yikes.
Photek is in a tricky position of managing mainstream appeal whilst still clinging on to the underground he flourished so successfully within. Consciousness of this has perhaps splintered KU:PALM into a number of different aural directions and, as such, will appeal to equally as splintered groups of music lovers.
KU:PALM is available on Photek Productions. [Release page]
